Coach Testimonial; Hero story

Anna’s story

Earlier this year, I spent three months working in Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands through the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). Through a friendship built with a local family, I had a very unique opportunity to immerse myself in the local culture and lifestyle.

This experience really changed my life. The loving and supportive nature of these Melanesian people absolutely captured my heart and made it even harder to witness the social problems that are currently present there.

I would have loved to have stayed longer than three months but unfortunately the assignment ended and I found myself back in Wellington. I felt extremely displaced and unsettled. This led me to seek Sarah’s help to try and make some sense of the intense emotions I was experiencing.

Over a number of coaching sessions Sarah assisted me by teaching me some tools to assess where I am at now, where I want to be and planning how to get from A to B. I think one of the key things Sarah was able to give me was affirmation of my personal potential and the courage to remove barriers, making a conscious decision to realise this. Times of change in our lives can be overwhelming and downright scary. If you don’t invest in finding the right support, you will likely ‘do what you’ve always done and get what you’ve always got’. Well, not me. Through Sarah’s ongoing coaching I have articulated and begun to realise a dream for my life that otherwise I may never have known existed inside me.

A real difference can be made for the youth in the Solomon Islands and through my work with Sarah I have defined and targeted my passion to dedicate my time to affect some of this change.

A big issue in the Solomons is found within the large number of youths that come away from their home villages to study or live in Honiara. For most this will be their first time away from home and their first exposure to many of the Western influences that are inevitably visible in a larger town; especially one with such a developed ex-patriot community. With high unemployment rates, many youths end up spending their days aimlessly wandering the streets, some of them inevitably finding trouble.

This led me to the idea of a facility for youth in the capital. With time, patience, energy and passion I am convinced an economically and socially sustainable facility could be developed to the benefit of many youths in the Solomons and through this, the future generations of this beautiful country.

I have the love, passion, time and enthusiasm to coordinate this dream, but getting this far has been possible only with Sarah’s help. And I know just how much I will need the help of many people for ideas, proven successes, expert knowledge and funding. I would love to hear from you or anyone that you could put me in touch with that can assist in making this dream a reality for the Solomons people.

And if you want to make some changes in your life or are unsure about exactly what you want enlist Sarah’s help to help you identify just where your potential can take you if you just commit to releasing it. We only have one life after all – so don’t waste it.

Good luck with your adventures!